Home on the Range
by FromTheAshesXx
Summary: Max and Angel are running from a broken home and their father, Jeb, when they meet Fang and his outfit of cattle herders. Pretending to be a boy, Max joins them in hopes of keeping her sister safe and leaving their past behind them. But what happens when their past comes back to haunt them? Read to find out! Fax, Eggy AH/AU
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! So, this is my first FanFiction story ever, so I'm a little nervous. I hope you enjoy it! :D R n' R please!**

* * *

Two figures, one much taller than the other, walked slowly down a deserted road. The sun was high in the sky, beating down on them. The smaller person, a young girl, stumbled and sank to the ground, exhausted. The taller person- this one an older girl- let a battered duffel bag slide from her shoulder and squatted down beside her.

"C'mon, Angel, just a little farther," the taller one pleaded.

"No, Maxie. I'm tired. We been walkin' all day. Can't we take a break?" the smaller one called Angel whined.

"We took a break two hours ago, sweetie," 'Maxie' said. "We need to keep goin'. The town can't be too far now."

"Noooo…" Angel refused stubbornly, tears coming to her eyes. "I'm tiiiired."

"Shh, calm down. What if I carry ya?"

The little girl wiped her eyes and nodded, holding out her arms and standing on her toes. The older girl picked her up, slipped the strap of the duffel bag over her shoulder, and stood up. After adjusting her grip on the young girl in her arms she started walking down the dusty road again.

Wrapping her arms around her carrier's neck, Angel murmured, "I love ya, Max."

Max rubbed her back. "I love ya too, Angel. Now get some rest. We'll be there soon."

The little girl rested her head in the crook of Max's neck and asked sleepily, "D'ya think we can stay here fer a while Max?"

"Maybe, Angel, maybe. We are purty far away. He might not be able to find us here."

"I don't want 'im to find us again."

"Don't worry, sweetie. I ain't gonna let him hurt ya again. Go to sleep now, 'kay?"

"Okay, Maxie." Angel closed her eyes, and soon she was fast asleep.

Glancing down at the young girl's peaceful face, Max thought determinedly, _I won't let 'im lay a finger on you, my angel. He won't hurt ya anymore, I promise._

* * *

Fang leaned back in his chair and groaned. Rubbing his eyes, he glanced at the clock despairingly. He'd lost track of how many hopeful young men had come up, hoping to join his cattle drive only to be turned away. And there were still three hours left before he could call it a day.

"Fang, why don't ya just pick somebody an' get it over with?" a girl with brown eyes and hair and a deep tan asked him.

"Because, Ella, I wanna make sure that who I pick is capable an' hardworkin', an' ain't gonna back out when things get tough."

"You wanna know what I think?" Ella didn't wait for him to answer and continued, "I think you're scared to hire somebody 'cause of Dylan." Fang's hands visibly clenched at Dylan's name. Ella smirked at him. "Thought so."

Before Fang could reply, another guy walked over to the table Fang had set up in a corner of the saloon. He was young, obviously hadn't worked a day in his life, and half-drunk. Sighing, Fang forced himself to return back to the job at hand.

It was going to be a long three hours.

* * *

"Angel, wake up. We're here," Max whispered softly forty five minutes later.

The little girl blinked and lifted her head to look around at her new surroundings. Stores lined both sides of the dirt road that they were walking down, and there were nicely dressed people everywhere. Brightly painted signs hung from poles extended over the wooden sidewalk, announcing the store's name and giving passers-by an idea of what was inside. A bakery, general store, pharmacy, tailor, and blacksmith shop were visible from where Max stood with Angel in her arms.

"Wow!" Angel said, looking around with wide eyes.

"Help me look for a barber shop, 'kay sweetie?" Max asked. Angel nodded, still busy admiring the town.

After a little while, Max spotted the red-and-white striped barber's pole and walked inside. Setting Angel and the duffel bag on the floor, she went over and talked to the man who seemed to be in charge and was in turn led her to a chair along the wall. The man picked up his scissors and Angel watched in fascination as large chunks of dirty blond hair fell to the floor.

A quarter of an hour later, Max stood up and turned to show Angel. "Well, whaddya think?"

The little girl pointed up at her and laughed. "Ya look like a boy, Maxie!"

And it was true. With her baggy, faded clothes stolen from the guy's section at a Goodwill they hit earlier, her old boots, and the new haircut, she did look like a boy. Her chest wasn't well developed, so as long as she bound it and wore baggy or bulky clothing, it wasn't noticeable. Her face made her look younger than she really was, but that was fine.

"That's the idea, sweetheart," Max replied, picking her up and spinning around.

Angel giggled and shouted, "Whee!"

Smiling, Max set Angel on her hip. She dug a few crumpled bills from the duffel bag to pay the barber, then slung the strap over he shoulder and walked outside. "Now, let's find somethin' to eat," she said, setting a cowboy hat on her head.

"Yay!" Angel cheered, excited at the prospect of eating for the first time that day.

They made a quick stop at a store for some snacks, then walked around the town in search of a place to stay for the night. A hotel or a bed-and-breakfast was out of the question because they definitely couldn't afford it, but maybe there was a barn on the outskirts of town or a nice family willing to let them stay in exchange for a few chores. As they were passing a busy saloon, Angel suddenly squealed, "Lookit, Max! Horsie!" She wriggled out of Max's arms and dashed across the street.

"Angel, wait!" Max shouted, chasing after her. A stage coach rumbled down the road, forcing her to stop for a second as it passed before crossing over to Angel.

Angel's sudden appearance and loud squealing startled the horse, causing it to rear and whinny loudly. Angel was knocked to the ground, and as the horse tugged on his reins that were tied to a hitching post his hooves came dangerously close to her. When she got across the street, Max wasted no time in pulling Angel out of harm's way, then moving to try and calm the horse down.

"Easy, easy there," she whispered in its ear as she stroked its neck. "Calm down, boy. It's okay, everythin's alright now." The horse quieted at her soothing words, resting his hooves on the ground and nudging her with his nose. Max patted his neck and turned to kneel in front of Angel. "Angel? You okay sweetie?" she asked, checking her over for injuries.

Angel didn't answer, instead throwing herself into Max's arms and sobbing. Max held her tightly and rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. "Angel, it's okay. The horse just got a little spooked, that's all. Ya can't run up to a horse like that, it scares 'em."

"I-I'm s-sorry, Maxie. I w-won't do-o it ag-again," Angel stuttered out, trying to stop crying.

"It's alright, there's no harm done. You'll know next time," Max said as the little girl's shaking stopped.

Max sighed in relief, glad that Angel was okay, and hoped that nobody saw what had just happened. She didn't want to get in trouble for "disturbing the peace" or something like that on their first day there. Her hopes were dashed, however, when a slightly gruff voice behind her asked, "Excuse me, but is she alright?"

* * *

Fang groaned for the thousandth time and pushed his chair back. When Ella looked over at him curiously, he said, "I can't take any more of this right now. I'm takin' a break. I won't be gone long. If you need anythin', yell for Iggy. He should be 'round here somewhere."

Ella nodded. "Alright. He's prob'ly tryin' to charm some girl he met." She rolled her eyes, a tint of jealousy in them.

Fang sighed. "Prob'ly." Standing up, he stretched and picked up his hat before walking outside. He set the Stetson firmly on his head as he headed out the door, hoping to find something that would ease his boredom and tension.

What he saw, however, was far from that.

He knew what was going to happen the second the little girl dashed across the street. The horse was new to his outfit and not well trained, so of course he spooked at her squeals of joy. _I knew I shouldn't have brought Ember! I figured he could use the practice, but look where that got me_, he thought. Before he could do anything, a boy appeared and pulled the girl out of the way. Fang watched as the boy expertly calmed the horse down and bent down to check on the little girl. He guessed that they were brother and sister, given how he rubbed her back and calmed her down.

Feeling like he ought to apologize, since the horse belonged to him, Fang walked over to them and asked awkwardly, "Excuse me, but is she alright?"

The boy stiffened and stood up slowly, turning to face him. "Yeah, she's fine. Just a little scared, that's all," he answered, looking Fang over almost warily. The little girl hid behind the boy's legs, gripping the fabric of his loose jeans tightly and peeking out at Fang every now and then.

Fang thought nothing of the girl's behavior, because he knew that children could be really shy around strangers, but the boy's extra cautious attitude came across as a little strange. _Maybe it's because he doesn't know me. I must look like some random stranger to him_, Fang thought. Deciding to introduce himself and hoping that would make the boy relax, Fang said, "I'm Nickolas Ride, but most people call me Fang."

The boy said somewhat hesitantly, "Max. And this is Angel." The little girl poked her head out again and gave him a shy smile. When he returned it she giggled and hid behind the boy- Max's- legs again.

"That's my horse, Ember. He ain't been trained much yet, so he's still a little skittish. I'm sorry he spooked 'n scared your… sister?"

Max nodded a 'yes' to the implied question and replied, "It's alright. She knows better than to run up to a strange horse." Here Max gave Angel a stern look, making Fang think, _Yep, definitely an older brother._ Angel buried her face in his pants, and Max sighed and gave her a small smile. "But it's okay now." Angel grinned and hugged his leg.

Fang hooked his thumbs in his pockets, studying Max closely. Now that he took a closer look, he looked to be around fifteen or sixteen, and tall for his age. Without the hat on, he probably came to just above Fang's shoulder. His clothes were loose and dusty, and looked to be fairly worn. The knees of his jeans and the elbows of his plaid shirt were faded, and there were a few holes in them. His boots were scuffed, and even the Stetson perched on his dirty blond hair was a little frayed.

The girl, Angel, fared no better. Her dress might have once been a dark blue, but now it was dirty and faded. The hem came a few inches too high and was ragged, and her shoes were worn out. They both looked rail thin, as if they hadn't eaten a decent meal in a while, and the kind of dirty that came with sleeping on the ground in the wild with no shelter for a while. The duffel bag slung over Max's shoulder looked to be half full at most and was almost threadbare in places, the shabby strap threatening to break at any moment.

Their appearance made Fang curious. He hadn't seen these two around town in the few days that he'd been here, and they gave the impression that they just got here and didn't plan on staying for a while. Where had they come from? Where were they going? Why did they look like they crawled out of a charity store? And why did they seem so wary of him? He knew his choice of all-black apparel was a little weird to some people, but no one had ever seemed scared of it.

Max, noticing his appraising gaze, shifted uncomfortably. "Err… Can I help ya?"

"Sorry, it's just… I haven't seen y'all 'round here before. Are ya new?"

"Yeah… Just got here today."

"I see." Looking at Max, an idea popped into his head, but he quickly pushed it away. It was crazy and impulsive, and he didn't typically jump at random ideas. As quickly as he got rid of it, however, it came right back. "Ya… Ya wouldn't happen to be lookin' fer a job, would ya?" he asked slowly.

"Uhm, maybe… Why?"

"Well, I'm leadin' an outfit out to California. There's a ranch out there that hired my dad to bring a big herd of cattle out to 'im. One of the guys ditched a few towns back, and I've been lookin' to hire someone. Ya interested?"

"Well…" Max said, looking a little hesitant.

"C'mon, Maxie, please? It'd be so much fun!"

Max rolled his eyes. "Ya don't happen to hire girls, do ya?"

Fang, thinking she was joking about hiring Angel, smirked slightly and said, "Naw, but your sister's welcome to come with us anyways. My sis an' her friend are gonna be there, an' my little brother, so she won't be alone."

"…Can I think 'bout it?" Max said finally.

Fang nodded. "Come 'round this way sometime tomorrow an' lemme know. I'll be here with my sis an' one of the hands."

"Sure thing," Max replied, nodding at him and reaching down to take Angel's hand. "See ya tomorrow."

Fang watched Max tug on his sister's hand and lead her away down the street. Angel twisted around and waved at him with her free hand, shouting, "Bye, mister!" before they turned a corner and disappeared from his view.

One corner of Fang's mouth lifted up as he turned and walked back into the saloon he had left his sister and Iggy in.

* * *

**So, there it is. I hope you liked it. In case it wasn't obvious, it's set in an Old-West type of era- I'm not sure exactly when, but not very modern. I probably won't be writing about cell phones and computers and iPads. Also, how did I do on the slang/ acccents? I'm from just south of the Mason-Dixon line, so my accent isn't as pronounced as this... I've read fics where the accent was exaggerated and I tried to stay away from that... I didn't want it to seem forced or unnatural or anything like that...**

**Anyways, I hope you like the first installment of Home on the Range! Leave a review and tell me what you think!**

**~FromTheAshesXx**


	2. Chapter 1

**Howdy, partners! haha, so, I'd like to take a moment and say a big THANK YOU to all my wonderful reviews and the poeple who favorited/ alerted this story. Especially Guest, whoever you are- your review was very helpful! I tried to fix the grammar... I hope you like it!**

**Also, since I accidentally forgot this last time...**

**I DO NOT OWN MAXIMUM RIDE!**

**So, without further ado... Chapter 1!**

* * *

Fang chuckled and walked over to them. "Ells, let 'im go. Whatever he did, it can't be that bad."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Ella replied, letting go of Iggy's ear reluctantly.

Upon being released, Iggy threw himself at Fang and cried, "Fangles! Thank ya for savin' me!"

Trying to wriggle free from Iggy's tight hug, Fang muttered, "Quit callin' me Fangles. An' ya prob'ly deserved it."

Sighing dramatically, Iggy let go of Fang and said, "A course I didn't! Why would ya ever think that?"

Fang gave Iggy a 'do-you-really-want-me-to-answer-that' look, then turned to Ella. "Let's go. I think I found someone to hire."

"Really?" Ella's eyebrows rose. "Who?"

"A boy named Max I met on the street." Fang told them what had just happened at they picked up the "Hiring" sign they'd had propped against their table and put on their hats, then walked outside.

When he was finished, Ella gave him a searching look and asked, "Why'd ya make him an offer? Yer usually not that impulsive."

He shrugged. "He seemed trustworthy. An' he seemed to know his way 'round horses, an'… Well, I dunno. I just got the feelin' that he was a good choice."

"Well, whatever the reason, I'm fine with it. Long as he works hard an' does his share, he's welcome to join. I can't wait to get outta this town," Iggy said.

Fang agreed, watching as the town passed by and eventually disappeared, leaving them with scattered brush and flat, dusty ground. Soon, the outfit's camp was visible, growing larger the farther they walked. When they arrived, his parents asked how the scouting trip went, then scattered conversation followed before they all turned in for the night.

* * *

Max sat on a pile of hay, elbows resting on her knees, deep in thought. Angel was laying on her stomach, playing with pieces of hay to entertain herself. They had found a barn on the edge of town and decided to stay there for the night. There were about ten to fifteen horses there, munching quietly on their feed and whisking flies away with their tails, creating a soft background noise.

Angel looked up at her sister and asked, "Why'd ya cut yer hair, Max?"

"'Cause I need to look like a boy," Max replied.

"Why?"

"Nobody's gonna hire a girl to help 'em, an' it's safer for an older brother an' his younger sis to travel alone than two sisters."

"Oh." Angel was silent for a bit more, then said, "Are ya gonna take the job?"

"I dunno, Angel. It prob'ly pays well, an' you wouldn't be the only girl or kid your age. An' we'd be moving around a lot, so it'd be harder for Jeb to find us."

"So why not?" Angel asked, cocking her head to the side, a trait she learned from her older sister.

"They might find out I'm a girl, which would be real bad. And to get to Cali, we'd have to turn 'round an' go the way we been comin'. So we could run into Jeb on the way."

"Oh." Angel sighed and clambered into Max's lap. "Well, I'll go with you, no matter what. I trust you, Maxie."

Max smiled and hugged her. "Thanks, sweetheart." Angel stifled a yawn, prompting Max to say, "Alright, bedtime. Ya've had a long day, and we gotta get up before anybody shows here in the mornin'," She pushed some hay away, forming a little dip for them to lay in.

Angel nodded and laid down. Max pulled a blanket from their duffel bag and laid down beside her, covering them up with the thick cloth. Angel burrowed into Max's stomach, closing her eyes. A few minutes later, Max looked down and saw that Angel was fast asleep. Brushing a lock of blond hair off her forehead, Max whispered, "Goodnight, my angel." Closing her eyes, she mulled over the job offer for a while until sleep snuck up and took over her mind.

* * *

Max shifted groggily in her sleep, wishing whatever was poking her in the back would stop. She swatted at whatever it was, but it only nudged her harder. Groaning and opening her eyes, she blinked her eyes to clear them before looking up.

Right down the double barrel rifle pointed at her face.

"Uhm…" she gulped. "Hi?"

The man's eyes above the gun narrowed. "Who are ya? What're ya doin' here?" he asked gruffly.

"I'm Max. That's Angel beside me. And I _was_ sleepin', before ya woke me up." When the tall man growled, she realized that provoking the one with the gun might not have been the smartest idea in the world. _What if he's like Jeb? Oh, God, please no… I promised I wouldn't let Angel get hurt again…_

"I can see that. Why in here? Were ya plannin' on stealin' on of my horses when ya woke up? Huh? Thought ya could get away with it, didn't ya, boy?" the man pushed.

"What? No! Me an' my sis needed a place to crash fer the night, that's all," Max answered quickly, not wanting to be branded as a horse thief.

"Ya got somethin' against motels?" he asked suspiciously, keeping the gun trained on her face.

"No, nothin' like that. Listen-" Max began to explain.

"Dad? Ya in there?" a voice interrupted- a familiar voice, which was followed by a familiar person walking into the barn. It was the guy who offered her a job- _Nickolas, right?_ He caught sight of the man standing in front of Max and started chastising him. "Dad, what've I told ya 'bout sneakin' away? 'Specially without yer crutches." It was then that he saw the gun and, consequently, Max. "Max? What're ya doin' here?"

"Ya know this runt, Nick?" the man said, turning slightly to look at him. _Ouch, so now I'm a runt, huh? Though I guess that's not as bad as some of the other names I been called…_

"Yeah, Dad, this is the boy I told ya 'bout. The one I offered a job. Max, this is my dad, Clark Ride," Nick introduced them.

The gun lowered slowly from Max's face to the ground after Nick's introduction, so Max scrambled to her feet. Clark stuck his hand out towards her. Max flinched at the sudden movement, thinking that she was about to get slapped, her mind flashing back to thoughts of Jeb. Clark and Nick gave her curious looks, and when she glanced at Clark's hand again, she realized that he just wanted to shake hands. She hesitantly reached out to do so, pulling out of his firm grip as quickly as possible.

"So… This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said to meet me later, but… Have ya thought 'bout my offer?" Nick asked, handing the crutches he was carrying to his father, who seemed to take them unwillingly.

Max nodded. "Yeah, I have. An'…" she glanced at Angel, who was still sound asleep despite all the talking "…I'd like to take ya up on it."

Nick cracked a small smile. "Great. I'm guessin' ya don't have a horse of yer own or gear." Max shook her head, and he continued, "Don't worry, we can take care of that. Ya can borrow one of the extra horses we got for now, and when Ember's trained ya can have him ifffen ya want. There's prob'ly extra gear layin' 'round camp, and I'll give ya yer first paycheck in advance so ya can get anythin' else ya need. Sound fair?"

Max nodded. "Yessir, that sounds good to me." She hesitated. "Er, beggin' yer pardon, but… Iffen I may, what happened to yer leg, sir?" she asked Clark.

"Ah, this ol' thing? Broke the bone a coupla weeks ago. That's why my son's leadin' the boys this time," he replied, patting his left leg. "How'd ya know?"

Max shrugged. "Ya been favorin' it the whole time we been talkin', and yer son has crutches fer ya. I was just wonderin'."

Clark laughed heartily and clapped her on the shoulder, not noticing her flinch when he did so. "Yer mighty observant, young man. Son, this one's a keeper. Now, how 'bout ya wake up that pretty lil' sister of yers and we introduce y'all to the rest of the outfit?"

"Yessir, just a minute," Max said before bending down and shaking Angel's shoulder. "Angel, darlin', it's time to wake up," she whispered.

Angel blinked sleepily up at her. "But I'm still sleepy, Maxie," she mumbled.

"I know, but we got a busy day ahead of us. We gotta meet the outfit, I gotta get a horse and some gear, we getta go shoppin'..." Max trailed off as the little girl's blue eyes slowly widened in excitement.

"Ya took the job?!" she squealed with a lot more energy than she had before. "Yippee!" Angel immediately stood up and started brushing hay off of her clothes. "When do we getta start? I can't wait to meet 'em. Are there gonna be any kids my age? What're we goin' shoppin' fer?" Angel started rambling, the way she only did if she was excited and nervous at the same time.

Max grinned and picked her up. "Whoa, whoa, one question at a time. We're leavin' now, with my boss an' his dad. I think the bossman said somethin' 'bout havin' a brother yer age, an' there bein' two girls there too. An' we're goin' shoppin' fer a bunch of stuff, new clothes for ya included," she answered, tugging on the frayed hem of her sister's dress.

Max ran a hand through her shortened hair to pull out any stray bits of hay, slung the duffel bag over her shoulder and turned to the two men waiting for her. "Angel, this is Nick Ride, my boss, an' Clark Ride, his dad. Ya met Nick the other day, remember?"

Angel nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yeah, I 'member. Yer the one with the purty horsie!"

The corner of Nick's mouth quirked up. "That would be me, missy. And yer the darlin' lil' girl who wanted to join the outfit yerself."

Angel smiled and nodded again. With the introductions made, Max asked, "So, y'all ready to go?"

Nick nodded. "We came to get Ember fer trainin', but since ya've joined us we'll go ahead an' get 'em all. Camp's just a short ride from here. Y'all can ride Isabella fer now," he said, walking down the row of stalls and leading a dapple gray mare out of her box. "She's real sweet an' easygoin', so she'll be safe to ride 'till we match ya up with a good workhorse."

Max nodded and set Angel on her feet. "Alright, 'member what we learned yesterday?" she asked her sister. When she nodded, Max said, "Good. Now show me."

Angel stepped towards the mare quietly, holding out her hand. Isabella pushed her nose into the outstretched palm, then began sniffing Angel's arms and neck. Angel giggled a little and stroked the horse's neck. "Howdy. I'm Angel. I hope I don't smell too bad to ya," she said in a soft voice. Isabella snorted and nudged Angel, clearly enjoying the attention.

Max walked up to the two and said, "Good job, Angel. I'm proud of ya." The little girl smiled and hugged her sister's leg. Max rubbed Isabella's nose, then slowly trailed her hand down the left side of her neck and to her back. She patted Isabella's back, then leaned up and put pressure on her hands. After letting her get used to that, she picked Angel up and helped her sit on the mare's back. She adjusted the strap of the duffel bag she carried, then fisted her hand in Isabella's mane and swung herself up in front of Angel. The horse shifted, adjusting to the new weight, then tossed her head.

Max patted her neck and looked over to find Nick giving her an approving nod before leading the rest of the horses out of their stalls and hitching a small cart to a light brown pony. Clark started to shift away, but Nick said sharply, "Dad. In. _Now._"

Clark sighed and climbed into the blanket-padded cart, muttering under his breath. Nick tacked up a black stallion and mounted him. Turning to Max, he explained shortly, "Dad can't ride, so he has to sit in the cart, but he don't like it. The pony's name is Heather, and this here," he patted the neck of his horse, "is Shadow. Heather's a carthorse, and Shadow's mine. The rest of these are the gang's horses, and a coupla baggage horses."

Max nodded. "Got it."

Nick turned Shadow around and nudged him into a walk. They led the way out of the barn, followed by Heather and Clark the rest of the horses, and then Isabella with Max and Angel. Once they were all outside, Nick turned Shadow left and headed in the opposite direction of the town, leading their miniature herd towards the camp.

Max sucked in an anxious breath and let it out, feeling Angel's arms slip around her waist and hold tight. It wasn't riding the new horse she was scared of, Max knew; it was the big group of new people they were about to meet. Max couldn't blame her- given their past, strangers, especially male strangers, didn't sit too well with them.

_We'll just hafta stick together, no matter what. Whatever happens, it can't be as bad as what we've been through._ With that semi-comforting thought, Max turned Isabella to follow her boss, off to find what her and Angel's new future held in store.

* * *

**So there it is! I hope you liked it :D R n' R please!**

**~~FromTheAshesXx**


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